- Blue Origin Marks First Landing of Reused New Glenn Rocket Booster, Ratcheting up SpaceX Rivalry
Source: US News & World Report
“Jeff Bezos'[s] Blue Origin on Sunday said its New Glenn rocket booster touched down after its launch, marking its first landing of a reused booster. The rocket, which had a launch window of 6:45 a.m. to 12:19 p.m. ET on Sunday, lifted off at around 7:25 a.m. ET (1125 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the booster touchdown happened about 10 minutes later. New Glenn carried AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite to low-Earth orbit in a flight that marks a pivotal step for the company. The mission was key to demonstrating that New Glenn, a 29-story heavy-lift rocket, has a reliable booster reuse capability and can compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.” (04/19/26)
- SEC Charges Bitcoin Latinum Founder Donald Basile With $16 Million Investor Fraud
Source: Blockonomi [UK]
“Bitcoin Latinum founder Donald G. Basile now faces federal fraud charges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC claims Basile and his two companies raised $16 million from hundreds of American investors through fraudulent crypto offerings. Regulators filed the complaint on April 17, 2026, in the Eastern District of New York. The charges center on false claims about insurance, asset backing, and the intended use of investor funds. The case revolves around the sale of Simple Agreements for Future Tokens, or SAFTs. These instruments promised investors the right to receive a crypto asset known as Bitcoin Latinum, or LTNM.” (04/19/26)
- Australian, Japanese regimes sign contracts for $7 billion warships deal
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Australia and Japan have signed contracts for the first three of 11 warships set to be delivered to the Australian navy under a landmark $7bn defence deal, as the two close US allies in the Asia Pacific region deepen defence cooperation. Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles and Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi Shinjiro made the announcement in Melbourne on Saturday at the signing ceremony for the Mogami-class warships. … Australia has committed to a record $305bn in military spending over the next decade, as part of a widespread defence overhaul aimed at boosting the country’s naval power to levels not seen since World War II.” (04/19/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/4/19/australia-and-japan-sign-contracts-for-7bn-warships-deal
- Trinidad and Tobago: Bodies of 50 infants found dumped at graveyard
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The remains of at least 50 infants and six adults have been dumped at a graveyard in Trinidad and Tobago, police say. In a statement, the country’s police service (TTPS) said the bodies were found in the town of Cumuto, about 40km (25 miles) from the capital Port of Spain on Trinidad – one of the two islands forming the Caribbean nation. A preliminary investigation shows it may be a case of an ‘unlawful disposal of unclaimed corpses,’ it added. It is unclear if the incident is linked to gang violence in the country with one of the highest murder rates in Latin America and the Caribbean.” (04/19/26)
- The War Powers Resolution Is Not What You’ve Been Told
Source: Antiwar.com
by David Swanson“According to The Hill, in an article typical of U.S. media, Trump’s war on Iran is totally legal for 60 days if Congress does nothing, after which it becomes illegal, unless Congress has explicitly OK’d it. This is supposedly because of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. And The Hill is not alone in pushing this idea. However, the War Powers Resolution consists of words that you can read for yourself, and here are some of them …. It is simply not true that the war will become illegal after 60 days; it has been illegal since the instant it was begun. It is factually false that it must be ended after 60 days in order to comply with the law; it must be ended immediately.” (04/19/26)
- Trump: An Alternative Hypothesis
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“Some commentators look at Trump and the MAGA-dominated Republican Party and conclude that ‘the chaos is the point.’ That is, the purpose of some of the weirder and wilder actions of Trump’s administration is to build an omnipotent totalitarian state by sowing fear, discord, and confusion — to keep their opponents on perpetual tenterhooks, disorganized and unable to effectively respond, as new authoritarian measures roll out. But what if it’s not that?” (04/19/26)
- We Are America, and We Play Rock ’n’ Roll
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson“[T]he young and the hungry around the world, from India to Ukraine, want something different: They want choices and agency and fun and freedom that may not look exactly like our version of it but that is freedom nonetheless. They want to rock. And rock, as Johnny Rotten knows, is both a product of affluence and a route to it. It is not exactly a swindle, as the Sex Pistols insisted, but there is a kind of swindle at the heart of it: Rock is a rebellious pose for the rich kids of the world. It is not a product of rebellion, nor is it, in the American context, an instrument of rebellion. … Freedom is about having choices, and, unromantic and adultified and boring and Protestant and old-fashioned Republican as this particular piece of wisdom might be, money gives you choices.” (04/17/26)
- The Political Culture of the Smartphone and the Cult of the Algorithm
Source: CounterPunch
by David S D’Amato“Digital environments like social media platforms are designed to deliver rewards intermittently and unpredictably, imitating the psychologically addictive qualities of slot machines. The randomness, opacity, and variability are all there on purpose to provoke compulsive engagement. If we take a step back and consider this system, it is strange beyond words: the system links the most personal, private aspects of life and identity to a gambling mechanism, co-opting the most fundamental human feelings and motivations. It has colonized life’s inherent uncertainty and unpredictability, leveraging these fundamental features of existence to generate anxiety and disciplinary power. Digital capitalism has changed the concept of uncertainty itself.” (04/17/26)
- Business leaders are done picking sides, and the two parties should be worried
Source: The Hill
by Adam Brandon“The 1970s are back, as are fears of an economic recession. With oil prices extremely volatile, major supply chain disruptions in the energy sector, and mixed signals from both the White House and Congress, Americans are preparing for yet another year of inflation. High gas prices are just the beginning of what is almost certainly going to be even more pressure on a struggling middle class. If there’s one thing Wall Street hates, it is uncertainty. And in today’s political climate, neither Republicans nor Democrats are providing reassurance to business leaders or the average American. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has seen enough. In a recent interview with Axios, Dimon suggested that an independent candidate might be needed to fix this dysfunction that we’re living through. Welcome to the independent movement, sir.” [editpr’s note: “Independent,” Dimon presumably means, except of the influence of JPMorgan Chase – TLK] (04/18/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5837158-economic-recession-fears-rise/
- We Should Not Fear The Tyrants; The Tyrants Should Fear Us
Source: Caitlin Johnstone
by Caitlin Johnstone“In our society, we do not push psychopaths off the ice when nobody is looking. In our society, we let them rule the world.” (04/19/26)
- The eternal English revolt
Source: spiked
by Gawain Towler“Chartism was a constitutional movement. It operated through petition, through the discipline of the mass meeting, through the moral pressure of demonstrated popular will. The General Convention of the Industrious Classes, called regularly from 1839 onwards, styled itself a parliament of the people, not to overthrow parliament but to remind it of its obligation to the people. When three petitions, each signed by millions, were presented and each contemptuously refused, the movement’s response was not insurrection but reorganisation, continued agitation, education and, eventually, decades later, the slow grinding of history through the machinery of genuine reform. Five of the six Chartist demands are now simply the unremarkable fabric of democratic life: universal suffrage, secret ballot, payment of MPs, no property qualification for membership of parliament and equal electoral districts. The sixth, annual parliaments, we decided against, and probably wisely so.” (04/19/26)
- Can Primary Reform Keep Out Extremist Candidates and Depolarize America?
Source: The UnPopulist
by Lee Drutman“The dysfunction in American politics runs deeper than the mechanics of nomination contests. The United States operates under an unusually rigid two‑party system that compresses an enormous range of political views into two increasingly polarized coalitions. Adjusting the rules of primaries may change how candidates are nominated, but it does little to change the incentives created by the larger political environment.” (04/18/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/can-primary-reform-keep-out-extremist
- I’m a truck driver. I’m not worried about AI taking my job.
Source: USA Today
by Kris Edney“The world’s tech leaders – the ones who are driving the AI revolution – insist that people like me are actually the foundation of the technology shaping the future. The numbers prove them right.” (04/19/26)
- Tech Troubleshooting in Space
Source: EconLog
by Joy Buchanan“When astronaut Christina Koch, the first woman to fly around the moon, reported an issue from space that could have been copy-pasted from any IT helpdesk ticket, something clicked for Americans. Her grievance? ‘No joy seeing the device in the list of available devices when I attempt to re-pair it after doing the Bluetooth forget.’ Commander Reid Wiseman, orbiting Earth aboard the Artemis II mission, radioed Houston with a problem millions of office workers share: ‘I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working.’ So much for old ‘one small step for man …’ Internet commentators found these moments painfully relatable and shared them widely. Why did those quotes about tech maintenance go viral in April 2026? Beneath the comedy lies an underappreciated cost of modernity: we are wealthier, and that wealth means we own more things.” (04/17/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/tech-troubleshooting-in-space
- Chief Justice Roberts could learn from baseball great Ted Williams when it comes to leaks
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley“The legendary baseball player and manager Ted Williams once wrote a letter to Angels outfielder Jay Johnstone on improving his hitting. Among his pieces of advice was that ‘with two strikes, you simply have to protect the plate.’ Williams'[s] advice on not striking out came to mind this week when another leak of confidential information rocked the Supreme Court. (The prior leak of the Dobbs decision went unsolved.) For Chief Justice John Roberts, the message is clear: it is times like these when you have to protect the plate. Roberts, of course, is famous for his own baseball analogies. In his confirmation, he declared that ‘judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules. They apply them … Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire.’ Yet, justices do make rules not only in new precedent, but in the operation of the court system. Those rules are being broken.” (04/19/26)
- Why I Oppose Race-Consciousness
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg“Race-consciousness is not something that belongs in the minds of children; rather than being a virtue, it’s far more of a poison. I want children to be entirely separated from and ignorant of racial issues. Rather, they should simply see people, with their pigmentation being an accidental triviality. Race-consciousness robs that from them, and I think it’s tragic.” (04/17/26)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/why-i-oppose-race-consciousness
- On Witless Great Vengeance and Furious Anger
Source: Common Dreams
by Abby Zimet“Seeking to rally the troops for his unholy war, Christian nationalist, TV-carnie and war fanboy Pete Kegseth just passed off some vengeful Gospel According to Tarantino as scripture at his (unconstitutional) Pentagon prayer service, and yes we have them now. Added to the ‘shameless blasphemy’ of quoting — without credit — Samuel Jackson’s homicidal hitman Jules as ‘prayer,’ Pete moronically misses the redemptive point: As he cites the ‘tyranny of evil men,’ he, unlike Jules, doesn’t friggin’ get that he is one.” (04/18/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/further/on-witless-great-vengeance-and-furious-anger
- The Good Fight, 04/18/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Michael Shermer on Truth and Conspiracy.” (04/18/26)
- Free Talk Live, 04/18/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Sarah Connor from the Terminator predicted AI today :: Skynet is Big Brother :: Chat GPT wont say Colin is worse than Hitler :: AI run by a free stater, Venice.AI :: Katy Perry is totally innocent :: ICE trying to get a Reddit poster in court for criticizing them :: China using Trump’s blunder to advertise China :: Why are Israelis so morally compromised? :: Iran, what is true and what’s not? :: Jared Kuschner BFFs with Netanyahu :: Trump executive order to look into legalizing psychedelics :: Sabbatean Frankist cult runs the world? :: Vance heckled for his stupid remarks saying God is okay with his wars :: All politicians should be atheists? :: They’re stealing from you for war :: Anti-aging propaganda :: Cloning humans secretly :: Monkey and human “organ sacks” cloned without brains and being kept alive for boomers to live forever :: Surrogates would have to carry the baby with no brain :: 2026-04-18 :: Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Riley O’Bill.” (04/18/26)
- Serious Trouble, 04/18/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“Call the Swalwell Hotline.” (04/18/26)
- The Climate Realism Show, episode 198
Source: Heartland Institute
“Conference Rattles Climate Activists.” (04/18/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/conference-rattles-climate-activists-the-climate-realism-show-198/
- Mean Age Daydream, 04/18/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“California’s Response to Fraud? Outlaw Investigative Journalism.” (04/18/26)